Thanks Bill been using it for about 30 years now! If you smoke the sausages you might want to add more fat. Seems to be a drier cook. I usually crumble the meat for a spaggetti sauce or make slabs for subs with peppers and onions.

Hey Debi, it does sound good.... but I have a question. What is corn sugar? Can't say I've ever heard of it.
I like spicy sausage. Is your recipe a little spicy? I bought a shoulder roast to make some sausage tomorrow. I'm wanting to try a new recipe.

This recipe is deliberately mild (I think). In case you feed it to little kids. Better to try it first then add more heat. I like it "running nose hot" for subs with onions and peppers, but I didn't want to injure anyone. The amount of heat you can handle is a very personal thing. I'd mix it up fry a bit and add more pepper after you try it.

Corn sugar is sometimes marketed as dextrose. It's used in brewing for priming sugar to add CO2 so I always have it around. If you have a brew shop near home check there first. It's not usually in supermarkets unfortunately.

It probably wouldn't hurt not to use it if you don't have it available.

Also I might note that if you use the beef and pork combination:

Lower the garlic (did I say that?) it's a pretty good Bratwurst.

Increase the fennel and anise and use just pork to make a more Italian - Italian sausage. Add crushed red pepper to make it more spicy hot. Black pepper to just make it hot.

Take out the fennel and anise and you get hotdogs.

Kind of a one recipe for all sausage sort of thing.

It's good with chopped Jalapinos too, but keep it away from the kids!

I think this was developed based on what we had around at the time. After fall slaghter you had everything by summer things get thin ...

Following is an Italian, Italian Sausage receipe salvged from a very old Italian family, very much under the effects of home made grappa, way over on our west coast south of Perth, Western Australia.. Once again we were told K.I.S.S.
and that is the way it is.

If you were drinking Grappa I understand why you didn't care anymore! That's strong stuff! It used to be severed only at holidays after dinner in tiny little cups almost like an expresso cup. Only one cup unless you were very old and smiled alot.

Deb, I am sorry about that, I meant to say MIXED herbs.Do you have this product your way? Yes we were drinking the grappa out of the metal cap of the bottle,. You know, my skoll, your skoll. I think the stuff burned through the cap. One capful and you couldn't get the smile off your face with a team of horses,really. That is if one could see you through the steam from your mouth and blurred eyes,oh hell,I still shudder at the thought.
Trouble with the mixed herbs let me know and will investigate further for you.

Rang Gino. He remembers the night well but doesn't remember, if you know what I mean. He reminded me that when all ingreds. are mixed less the claret, garlic and cure (ham) you must have it in a flat container allowing it to be pressed flat and finger holes pushed into the meat..Chill and later pour in the liquids and let sit for several hours in cool place,probably fridge. Then hand stir it again and go for the sausage making. He said fatty pork and beef wouldn't do it any harm as they all need the fat. They smoke them and hang them outdoors in the cooler regions/months. Hope it goes OK. I will have to wait another pig and steer before I can have a go.